Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh míle maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle, as ucht an deis labhairt faoin ngéarchéim tithíochta atá ar fud na tíre.

The housing and homelessness crisis currently gripping Irish society and destroying countless lives has its roots in the political failings of the previous Fianna Fáil Administration, which irreparably damaged the Irish economy and society. This crisis is also deeply rooted in the failed policies of the Fine Gael and Labour Government, which deepened and worsened the housing crisis to unimaginable levels. The housing crisis has caused an awful lot of misery and suffering for tens of thousands of families across this island.

The previous Government built only a fraction of the social housing needed and refused to tackle rising rents or rent uncertainty adequately. As a result, there is a chronic lack of social and affordable housing and a crisis in the rental market, which is particularly affecting our young people. The situation across the State is so dire that the estimates of the number of people on the housing waiting lists range from the conservative figure of 90,000 to well over 130,000. In Offaly and north Tipperary, the constituency I represent, there are well over 2,500 people currently on the housing list. This has increased year on year and shows no sign of abating, and I must add that it will be forever to the shame of the last Seanad and Dáil that they removed the legal protection preventing so many family homes from being taken by the banks. In Birr, a small rural town in my county of Offaly, five families are after being issued with eviction notices. These families are in great distress, and I am calling on this House to do everything possible to protect them. They should never have been put in this situation, and unfortunately there are many more families like the five in Birr.

It is unacceptable and something needs to be done. These children are being affected by what is happening across this country and it will have devastating effects in terms of mental health and educational achievement, for example.

It is apparent to all that the housing and homelessness crisis has created a social crisis. Only last month, Console warned that the strain of repossessions and the threat of possessions is driving a growing number of people into a suicidal crisis. There has never been as desperate a need for a new vision around housing in Ireland. It is essential that the State builds sufficient housing and tackles spiralling rent costs.

The severe increase in rent prices is also a serious concern. Not only is it forcing people out of the rental market but it is also causing significant financial strain for those who choose to remain in the rental market and who must spend 40% to 50% of their wages on rent alone. In Offaly rent prices increased by 9% in 2015. This is completely unsustainable and unacceptable.

Whoever is in the next Government needs to undertake an immediate programme of responsibly planned social housing builds, implementation of rent controls, a serious review of bank repossessions and a removal of vulture funds from the property market.

It is my belief, and the belief of Sinn Féin, that in a stable prosperous society everyone should be in functional, comfortable and affordable housing. It is high time we had a new vision on housing in this State.

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